Therapeutic composition containing alpha-linolenic acid and a compound capable of promoting the passage of the acid through the cell membrane, plant extract comprising the acid and the compound, and process for the preparation of the extract

ABSTRACT

PCT No. PCT/FR86/00376 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 24, 1988 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 24, 1988 PCT Filed Nov. 6, 1986 PCT Pub. No. WO88/03406 PCT Pub. Date May 19, 1988.The invention relates to a therapeutic composition containing, as the active principle,  alpha -linolenic acid and an alcohol of vegetable origin, such as a tocopherol or sitosterol. Preferably, the composition contains other fatty acids and is an organic extract of plants, especially of the Resedaceae family. The invention also relates to the plant extracts as novel products. The therapeutic composition is especially useful as an antiinflammatory.

The invention concerns the field of drugs, especially antiinflammatories.

It relates to a therapeutic composition which contains, as the active principle, at least α-linolenic acid and at least one compound capable of promoting the passage of the acid through the cell membrane, in association with a physiologically acceptable excipient.

It further relates to the plant extracts containing the active principle.

α-Linolenic acid by itself has no therapeutic activity.

According to the present invention, it has been found that the active principle described above has totally unexpected therapeutic properties, especially antiinflammatory properties. Alcohols of vegetable origin, such as tocopherols (α, β, γ and δ) or sitosterols like β-sitosterol, may be mentioned among the compounds which are capable of promoting the passage of α-linolenic acid through the cell membrane. Apart from these two types of product, the active principle can contain other compounds, especially C₁₆ and C₁₈ fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid. Moreover, the presence of these other compounds often results from the process for the preparation of the active principle, as will be understood below.

Thus, preferably, the active principle will have the following composition in percentages by weight:

    ______________________________________                                         linolenic acid   10-80 and preferably 15-60                                    compound         10-80 and preferably 15-60                                    C.sub.16 and C.sub.18 fatty acids                                                                0-65 and preferably 15-55                                    other than ζ-linolenic acid                                               ______________________________________                                    

The active principle is preferably an aqueous or organic extract of plants which contain α-linolenic acid and a compound capable of promoting the passage of the acid through the cell membrane.

The expression "aqueous or organic extract" refers to the product which results from the action of an aqueous or organic solvent on ground plants, i.e. the process involves extracting the products which are soluble or miscible in these solvents.

Among the plants which are suitable for the present invention, preference will be given to those belonging to the Resedaceae family, such as Reseda lutea, Reseda luteola, Reseda glauca L., Reseda suffruticosa, Reseda alba, Reseda jacquini Rehb, Reseda odorata, Reseda complicata, Reseda bory, and Reseda phyteuma.

It is possible to use the whole plants harvested when flowering or fruiting, or seeds. They are then dried in the absence of light under a stream of air.

The aqueous extract advantageously results from extraction of ground plants or seeds with water, followed by recovery of the dry solute by an appropriate means.

Appropriate means which may be used are lyophilization or nebulization (after the addition, in the latter case, of an agent for imparting viscosity or an adsorbent, such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) or silicic acid).

It is also possible to extract the resulting aqueous solution with an organic solvent and then to concentrate the organic phase and finish, if appropriate, with a chromatographic fractionation of the concentrate. Advantageously, the fractionation will be such as to enable the fractions containing the fatty acids to be recovered. Preferably, the aqueous extract will result from a solid-liquid chromatographic fractionation, the eluent being a 50/50 benzene/methanol mixture, the support being silica and elution being carried out in 10 ml fractions, and from recovery of the fractions between forty-three and sixty.

The organic extract results from extraction of ground plant or seeds with an organic solvent such as ether, hexane or methanol, or with liquid CO₂ in the supercritical phase, followed by recovery of the dry solute by evaporation. However, preferred solvents will be ether, hexane or petroleum ether and especially methyl tert-butyl ether, or liquid CO₂ in the supercritical phase, either in the pure state or, if appropriate, with traces of water, ethanol or the like (to extract the compounds of greater or lesser polarity).

It must be emphasized that all the plant extracts are novel and the applicant is claiming them as novel products characterized by the process for their preparation, as follows from the foregoing description.

The therapeutic compositions according to the invention have proved useful as antiinflammatories, antihistamines, agents for inhibiting hemorrhoids, agents for inhibiting varicose veins, anticoagulants, vasoconstrictors or agents for inhibiting psoriasis.

The concentration of the extract in the finished product is advantageously between 10 and 25% by weight in the case of the aqueous extract and 2 to 12% in the case of the organic extract.

The product can be administered locally (ointment, cream, spray, lotion, gel), intradermally (ampoules or with the aid of conventional excipients) or by the general oral or parenteral route (capsules, drops to be taken orally, etc.).

The invention is now illustrated by particular non-limiting Examples.

PREPARATION OF THE EXTRACTS Example 1: Preparation of the Aqueous Extract

The plant is pulverized with a roller mill until a fairly coarse powder is obtained. The resulting powder is extracted with 8 times its weight of distilled water at a temperature of 70° C. for 8 h, with mechanical agitation.

The extract obtained after filtration and expression of the pulp is dried by nebulization or lyophilization.

Nebulization is carried out after the addition of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC).

Example 2: Preparation of the Aqueous Extract (2nd method)

The aqueous extract of Example 1 is precipitated with 95° ethanol to give a mixture of fatty substances.

Example 3: Preparation of the Aqueous Extract (3rd method)

Starting from the aqueous phase obtained according to Example 1, and instead of lyophilization or nebulization, the solute is extracted with ether in a separating funnel. The ether phase is concentrated under reduced pressure until a green oil is obtained. This extract is then fractionated on a silica column using a 50/50 benzene/methanol mixture as the eluent. 10 ml fractions are collected. As from fraction 45, the solution only contains fatty acids up to fraction sixty. Fractions 45 to 60 are combined.

Example 4: Preparation of the Ether Extract

The operation was carried out on the whole plant or on the seeds.

1 kg of plant is extracted by maceration with 6 1 of organic solvent (ether, petroleum ether and especially hexane) for 48 h at room temperature, with mechanical agitation.

After filtration on paper, the resulting solution is concentrated under reduced pressure until an oily extract is obtained, which is dried under a stream of nitrogen.

The ether extract has the following chemical composition (in percentages by weight) with a 10% margin of error:

    ______________________________________                                                d,1-ζ-tocopherol                                                                    18                                                                   β-sitosterol                                                                        18                                                                   palmitic acid                                                                            13.5                                                                 stearic acid                                                                             1                                                                    oleic acid                                                                               8                                                                    linoleic acid                                                                            10                                                                   ζ-linolenic acid                                                                    31.5                                                          ______________________________________                                          NB: This extract must be stored in the absence of light and in a cool          place.                                                                   

Example 5: Preparation of the Alcohol Extract

The operation is carried out under the same conditions as for Example 4, except that methanol is taken as the solvent.

Pharmacological Properties

The antiinflammatory activity of the extracts of Reseda Phyteuma obtained according to Example 1 to 5 was evaluated by general administration, in comparison with a reference in Wistar rats and with the powerful antiinflammatory indomethacin, as the percentage reduction in the swelling of the back paw caused by the phlogogenic agent carrageenin. The results are collated in Table I on the following page.

                  TABLE I                                                          ______________________________________                                                     Percentage reduction in swelling                                               after                                                                          2 h  3 h        4 h    5 h                                         ______________________________________                                         Reference     33.70  34.40      24.02                                                                               29.45                                     Indomethacin  38.60  71.62      40.42                                                                               32.8                                      5 mg/kg                                                                        Example 1  ○1                                                                         36     54.55      31.37                                                                               --                                        100 mg/kg  ○2                                                                         49.73  41.22      22.47                                                                               7.83                                      Example 2     42.83  41.42      27.40                                                                               12.40                                     100 mg/kg                                                                      Example 3     48.24  55.80      46.46                                                                               43.76                                     100 mg/kg                                                                      Example 4     53.41  70         54.70                                                                               41.08                                     5 mg/kg                                                                        Example 5     24.37  16.17      --   --                                        5 mg/kg                                                                        ______________________________________                                           ○1  and  ○2  correspond to two different groups of rats.  

TOXICITY

A. Acute toxicity

This was determined on male rats of the Wistar strain and male mice of the Swiss strain using two modes of administration: oral and intraperitoneal.

LD₅₀ rat

oral: LD₅₀ greater than 5 g/kg

intraperitoneal: LD₅₀ greater than 2 g/kg

LD₅₀ mouse

oral: LD₅₀ greater than 5 g/kg

intraperitoneal: LD₅₀ greater than 2 g/kg

B. Local tolerance of the nebulizate and of the ether extract in the form of a 10% cream

The local tolerance of the cream was assessed on Fauve de Bourgogne rabbits by the repeat cutaneous application of 2 g/kg of cream for 4 weeks to the animal's side, which had been shaved beforehand over an area of 80 cm.

The treatment did not influence the change in weight of our animals. The consumption of food and drinking water was identical in the control animals and treated animals.

The fur grew again normally.

Examination of the integuments showed a smooth and extremely supple skin.

In autopsy, examination and weighing of the following organs: liver, spleen, kidneys, testicles, adrenal glands, heart, thyroid and pituitary gland, showed no signs of toxicity. There was no apparent difference between control animals and treated animals.

Meticulous examination of the gastric and duodenal mucosa showed no anomalies.

Clinical Results

The tests were performed with the extract of Reseda Phyteuma of Example 1 in the form of a cream containing 10% by weight of organic extract.

The results collated in Table II on the following pages, which were recorded by doctors, are very satisfactory for external or internal hemorrhoids, whether or not accompanied by pruritus or slight fissures, for varicose veins and for insect bites.

The product is also an excellent emollient.

                                      TABLE II                                     __________________________________________________________________________                    Results                                                         Sex                                                                               Age                                                                               Diagnosis                                                                               Doctor                                                                              Patient                                                                             Tolerance                                                                            Latency                                                                              Duration                                  __________________________________________________________________________     M  36 Thrombosis with                                                                         B    B    B       2 d   15 d                                          external edema                                                           M  75 Anal pruritus                                                                           B    B    B     2      8                                        M  78 Anusitis in a                                                                           Average                                                                             Average                                                                             B     10    10                                              diarrheal subject                                                        M  48 Thrombosis with                                                                         B    B    B     1      8                                              edema                                                                    F  43 Attack of                                                                               Not reviewed                                                          hemorrhoids                                                              M  50 Anusitis with                                                                           B    B    B     2     15                                              painful bleeding                                                         F  59 Painful super-                                                                          B    B    B     5     15                                              ficial fissure                                                           F  75 Hemorrhoids +                                                                           Average                                                                             Average                                                          circumanal                                                                     mycosis                                                                  F  62 Anusitis with                                                                           B    B    B     3     15                                              bleeding                                                                 F  57 Chronic anal                                                                            B    B    B     Occasional use                                        burning                                                                  M  36 Internal B    B    B     Immediate                                                                            10                                              hemorrhoids                                                              M  51 Anal pruritus                                                                           B    B    B     2     15                                              + hemorrhoids                                                            M  36 Anusitis +                                                                              Average                                                                             Average                                                          pruritus                                                                 M  49 Hemorrhoidal in-                                                                        B    B    B     2      8                                              flammation +                                                                            B    B    B     2     15                                              postoperative                                                                  pruritus                                                                 F  59 Pain + inflam-                                                                          B    B    B           15                                              mation after                                                                   sclerosis                                                                __________________________________________________________________________ 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of treating inflamed tissue in human beings or animals comprising the step of administering by local, intradermal, oral or parenteral route, an effective amount of a therapeutically active composition having an active principle which consists essentially of an extract of plant tissue or seed of at least one plant of the Resedaceae family, said extract including alpha linolenic acid and promoting material which is effective to promote the passage of alpha linolenic acid across cell membranes, and being admixed with physiologically acceptable excipient.
 2. A method of treating inflammatory events, histaminic disorders, or psoriasis, in human beings or animals, comprising the step of administering by local, intradermal, oral or parenteral route, an effective amount of a therapeutic composition comprising an extract of at least one plant or seeds of a plant belonging to the Resedaceae family containing simultaneously a therapeutically active amount of at least alpha-linolenic acid and of at least one promoting compound capable of promoting the passage of the acid through the cell membrane, in a physiologically acceptable excipient.
 3. A method of treating hemorrhoids, disorders of coagulation or disorders in which a vasoconstriction is sought, in human beings or animals, comprising the stop of administering by local, intradermal, oral or parenteral route, an effective amount of a therapeutic composition comprising an extract of at least one plant or seeds of a plant belonging to the Resedaceae family containing simultaneously a therapeutically active amount of at least alpha-linolenic acid and of at least one promoting compound capable of promoting the passage of the acid through the cell membrane, in a physiologically acceptable excipient. 